Making sense of this crazy world

Egypt

In this episode, I’m turning to Egypt because something really, really important happens in 1956. Something that changes the whole game in the Middle East and beyond, and we need to understand it.

Saudi Arabia becomes a key player

We have reached the point in the Middle East at which British rivalry with France is largely superseded by British rivalry with America. BIG SPOLIER – America is going to win this one. Britain’s days as a major power were numbered, they just didn’t see it just yet.

Anglo-American Rivalry

Before Britain (and France) had relinquished their mandates in the Middle East, Britain and America were already manoeuvring to put one over one another and ensure predominance in the region. Before it was even over, the Anglo-French rivalry was being replaced by an Anglo-American rivalry, again whilst the two countries were allies fighting the Axis powers.

The British Mandate Ends and Israel is Born

This episode looks at the very bitter end of the British mandate and the immediate Arab response to the Israeli state. And it ends with some revelations that will probably surprise you, even shock you, but that are actually understandable.

Palestine: Towards the Bitter End

We are now in 1946 and a combination of diplomatic pressure from the Jewish Agency and continued paramilitary activity, as well as propaganda applied in America which led to increased American pressure, and French manoeuvrings too as they sought revenge, all combined to bring about an end to the British mandate in Palestine. In truth, Britain didn’t stand a chance of maintaining its mandate.

Palestine and the End Game for the British

I’m returning to the Middle East and to the last years of the British mandate in Palestine. With the defeat of Germany, the full revelations of the Holocaust and the refugee crisis in Europe (there were a quarter of a million refugees of whom more than half were Jewish survivors of the Holocaust; and they were living in awful conditions with winter on its way), the momentum was with the Zionist cause.

Britain and America: the Special Relationship

In this episode I'm going to take a little look at the Special Relationship the British and Americans like to talk about and that has worried the French and other Europeans in the post-war world. It was Churchill who actually coined the phrase, referring to a “fraternal association of the English-speaking peoples …. a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States.” 

Explaining the Cold War: The Berlin Blockade

What happened in Berlin in 1948 and 1949 can be seen in a number of ways. It is the last factor in explaining the cause of the Cold War; and at the same time, it is the first act of the Cold War, the first clash between the two superpowers. It also demonstrates just how Berlin was at the centre of those rings I described in the introduction to this little series.

The Soviet Union takes control of eastern Europe and America responds

In 1947 and 1948, the Soviet Union moved to fulfil Churchill’s prediction and gain control of eastern Europe. It created a bloc of countries with governments loyal to them, even if their people weren’t. And America responded.

Explaining the Cold War: Allies Fall Out

Mistrust is an interesting word and its worth reflecting on just what it might mean. It could be seen as entirely rational. Based on reason and looking at the Cold War, it would focus on the ideological divide, a divide that appeared to allow for no compromise. Democracy and self-determination versus dictatorship and empire-building. Free trade versus protectionism too. As it might also look to past deeds, for example appeasement of Hitler or the Nazi-Soviet Pact. But it might also be based on emotion, on prejudice amongst the leaders, in a nutshell, on personal dislike.